Slaine Troyard

Slaine has only been in the aquarium once, and while that was with a special someone, he wanted to visit alone this time. There were a lot of memories in this miraculous place. He was taught a few things here and there thanks to his smart and helpful friend, but not everything. They visited other things that day, after all. And now, he had to go back, for a school project that he had at hand.

He was jotting down many notes as he could with what the aquarium was able to teach him about fish. His favorite so far would have to be the jellyfish, but he didn’t know much about them. He stared at the jellyfish, watching the exotic creatures sway from left to right in their little paradise. He tried his best to make a small sketch of the sea creature, and he hadn’t realized how long he was standing there. The moment he moved his arm to erase something, he had brushed against someone by accident.

They were tall, much taller than he was—how did he not notice this somewhat intimidating man? Were they watching him draw? Do his homework? 

Exploring the forest of Talia alone was becoming a small hobby of Slaine’s. He enjoyed taking in all the scenery around him, since he never had the chance to do so back at home. He touched every tropical tree that was in his path, and listened to the birds that sang a tune. The whole area was just relaxing. He did miss being in space all the time, but now he had the chance to finally enjoy an island.

But he did miss the chance to fly a ship through meteor debris, seeing the stars turn into a lightning blur. The thought of having a ship made him feel a little solemn on the inside.

The trees finally made an open clearing, a small open grassland between it all; and at the end of the small paradise, he saw something laying on the ground. What was that?

He walked toward it to pick up the strange object. It wasn’t Talian at all, or at least, it didn’t look like it to him. He flipped it over—a broken piece of technology. Carefully, he took a few more steps through the tropical forest, and found some more pieces. 

He carried them all in his hand, and was about to pick up another, but someone else was thinking the same.

This guy was pretty eager all of a sudden, wasn’t he? A squeak of curiosity came from the guinea pig as it noticed the presence of the stranger, though it didn’t make any effort to move from it’s spot on the younger boy’s lap. Not that Craig would let it. He loved his pet dearly, but he’s already dealt with chasing it around after an escape and he’d rather avoid it happening again. If this guy wanted to pet it, then he’d just have to settle with stroking the top of the guinea pig’s head as Craig continued to hold it in his arms.

“I guess.”

Usually, only very special people were allowed touch his precious rodent companion, but he could make an exception this time considering he’d apparently been living under a rock his whole life.

“His name is Stripe. And he likes it when you scratch the top of his head.”

“On top of his head…” he repeated what the other had told him, and moved a little closer. He was almost touching the stranger’s arm at this point, but he was so focused on the guinea pig that he hadn’t noticed.

Quietly, he took a couple fingers and pet the creature’s head, a smile escaping him the moment he realized how soft and fluffy the rodent was. He did want to pet the rest of the rodent, but he held himself back.

“England is a far-off country, mostly a part of United Kingdom and the country itself isn’t close enough like Talia. I’m from London and it’s very urban.” Was his immediate response and shook his head. He can really understand why he can seem to get along well with his newfound friend. “If I were to compare between both, Talia and Hawaii are a bit closer because Hawaii is a tropical island.”

He nodded at Slaine’s answer and smiled a bit. The boy seem to be a bookworm, himself too.  A small smile formed on his lips. “I’d love for a book exchange sometime. I’m very much interested in the books you have.“

“Like Hawaii? I’ve never been there before, either.” He was deprived as a child—Talia was his own paradise. A place to start a new life. “Which would be better? Talia or Hawaii? I’m asking your opinion.” He did like Talia, but he came here starting from scratch. It wasn’t easy.

“Most of my books are mainly for research, but if you don’t mind that… I have a wide stretch from birds, to battleships, a planet most commonly called Mars…” he thought for a moment for anything that might interest the other. 

The guinea pig was tucked away in his jacket, its head poking out to nibble curiously at the fabric of the t-shirt he wore underneath, but the occasional squeaking sound paired with the boy’s quiet tone as he fondly spoke to it made the creature’s presence no secret.

It was important for his pet to get some fresh air after all, so what better place than the park? Even if he wasn’t about to let Stripe run about in the grass for himself, he was sure the oversized rodent appreciated the scenery regardless from the safety of his lap.

Fingers gently scratching at the top of Stripe’s head, it was only when the stranger nearby spoke up that Craig acknowledged his presence, staring at him in silence for a few moments before moving his arm a little so the other could see the animal better.

“Haven’t you ever seen a guinea pig before?”

Slaine’s face clearly brightened up when he could see the animal now. A guinea pig? Was it an actual pig? But it looked like a rodent to him. He didn’t delve far into researching rodents, they weren’t that interesting to him. And he wondered why people kept them as pets instead of let’s say… a dog or a cat.

“N-no. Not once. Can I pet it?” he scooted to the edge of his own bench and next to the other’s, but still keeping a safe distance. He wasn’t about to take action right away unless he had some sort of confirmation that it was okay.

“Does it um… have a name at all?” he felt a little bad for calling the pet an it. It was precious to its owner, but Slaine couldn’t even tell if it was a boy or a girl.

    Inaho would be lying if he said that he wasn’t looking forward to this meetup. He hadn’t had many chances to go out and do things just for the heck of it before meeting Slaine by chance at his work.

    That didn’t mean he was unprepared, though. Just because they hadn’t agreed to do everything he’d suggested - Slaine’s backbone was adorable and frustrating - didn’t mean he was disappointed about the end result.

    He was too excited to be spending time out with someone of mild importance that he could stand the company of. Too many conflicting circumstances kept them from being close during their high school years, he wanted to remedy that.

          “Do you want me to lead you by the hand?” Inaho held his arm out and wiggled his fingers at the fair-haired boy, only half-joking. “It’s good to see you too.”

Slaine stared at the slender fingers that were now in front of them. He glanced up at Inaho, then back to his hand, and fixating his gaze at his eye. He took a moment, and extended his hand, letting it rest against Inaho’s. That’s what he wanted, wasn’t it? It wasn’t him messing around again?

“…Only once we get into the aquarium. Then you’ll have to let go.” He was wearing regular winter gloves for the time-being, so Inaho couldn’t feel his soft skin underneath. At least his hand will be warmed up a little.

“We might want to get going, or they day will slip away.” He glanced over at the clock to see what time it was, and it was only almost near the hour mark. He was worrying over nothing, but time did fly fast when he was with Inaho.

Slaine thought he heard a strange sound in the distance--something along the lines of a creature. He wanted to know what it was. The animal--or whatever it was-- seemed to be having the time of its life. Maybe that was because of the benefits of living in Talia. It was said to be paradise, after all.

He had a feeling this creature was small, with how squeaky the voice was. It was an interesting sound, and it didn’t intimidate him one bit. He just wanted to learn more. And if it attacked him, then he knew how to run away. 

After who knows how long, he’s finally found what he was looking for. But there seems to be a ... boy? With the creature, who was getting along with the yellow eared mouse.

There was one person who has been sitting in the park for a while, but Slaine was curious as to what they were doing. They seemed fixated on something inside their jacket, or... in their arms? He had no idea. Whatever it was, it must’ve been something important. But would they really have an important necessity out in the open?

He decided now was the time to get up and check to see whatever it could be. Luckily, there was a bench not too far away from theirs that was open, so he didn’t have to seem as suspicious. He sat down by it, and peeked to see what it was they had.

The holidays were here, and this is Slaine’s first holiday ever, technically. His guardians didn’t care to celebrate such a thing, even if it was Christmas. And he wondered what it was like to make a Christmas Tree, to partake in festivities, or head out caroling. It was all a whole new world for him, and Talia gave him just what he dreamed of.

And because of how isolated he used to be, he didn’t think he’d be walking out today and holding the flyer to be making lanterns for the Lantern Festival. He didn’t even know where to start, and everyone was busy helping others out. Luckily, he found someone. They seemed to be further away from the rest of the crowd, but that’s alright.

“Hello?” Slaine walked into Fur and Scales Haven, and his only intent today was to check out the animals. He had no idea how to raise one, but perhaps he could ask someone on how to start. He did have an interest in the feline species, as they were quite peculiar.

“I wanted to look around, preferably at the cats… but I also have a few questions, um…” his eyes wandered to the first person he saw. A volunteer? No matter, long as they knew what they were doing, then he should be okay.

“Ah, My name is Hakuba Saguru. It’s nice to meet you too.” Hakuba said, as he can already tell he can trust Slaine now since he is a decent person. Anything about Sherlock Holmes can really intrigue him the most aside from the other books but they can be sub par to his liking.

“I feel I can trust you already, Slaine-san. There is no need to worry” He said in a modest tone. “But if it is a book you wish to read, I can lend you one of the many novels from classic England. “I may decide that I can socialize here often.”. 

After all, he was nice. From his room, he can keep a collection of the said novel. “Please return it to me if you’re done. You can find me at F’aniti.”

For some reason, this person reminded Slaine of someone he once knew. Where that person was today, Slaine wasn’t sure, but it was quite a relief to feel trusted by them. He felt that it was a good first step to take, as Slaine needed more friends in Talia.

“Okay. I’ll be sure to remember that. I do have plenty of books at my house to read, too, if you want to do a book exchange.” Where was England, exactly? He learned it through his books, but he hasn’t actually visited. It sounded rather intriguing.

“Ah yes~ And plenty to share~” She exclaimed, walking a few steps forward to stand beside the male who wasn’t much taller than herself.

“First thing is first when holding a sword of any type- a proper posture is a must, just like any other form of activity.” She starts off, beginning her talk as she begins a stance.

Her back formed straight and her thighs aligned with her shoulder, her arm stretched forward as she corrected her feet, pointing one foot to the front of her and the other pointed to her right.

“Fighting is a dance, where you and the enemy are two separate dancers with your own simple patterns. now of course whenever you engage in any battle, a defensive posture is always the first option so you can scan their movements- of course, that changes if they choose to go on the defensive as well.” She continued, bringing the imaginary sword to her front.

“A-a dance…” her tutoring was helpful. It was different, but helpful. He looked at the sword in front of him and started to copy her movement. Was this right? There wasn’t a difference between a boy’s stance and a girl’s when holding a sword, was there? He looked at her, and they were both skinny, as well as similar heights. Perhaps it was okay. It would be difficult to get used to, but Slaine was a quick learner.

“Okay… if I want to be offensive, what should I do? I’m more of the going-in-action type, but I also keep my cool while I examine my opponent thoroughly.” He tried his best to explain to her, while keeping the sword in front of him, as she showed. Maybe he could learn from someone else, too, to have a broader perspective on how to use said weapon. But for now, one step at a time.

      A ROARING clap thundered within the classroom as Kaito almost jumped out of his seat when his forehead dropped onto the table and bruised himself. He was thankful that the impact wasn’t too hard for everyone to hear since all were focused on the speaker in the front for a wonderful presentation he just seemed to pass by with a yawn and later on, a nap since he was up all night researching for the next jewel to snatch. The red jewel worn by the siren. He sent the notice and all, and he hoped for the best. 

      Hand rubbed the sore spot on his forehead with a pout, eyes with dark circles under them blinked sleepily, then rapidly when people began to disperse as soon as the bell rang for the next class to enter in the room. And he sighed, grabbing his bag while he dragged his chair back for him to exit and go out of the classroom door. He yawned once again, minding his own business and thinking about a magic trick to do once he’s out of sight at home when someone grabbed his attention, and he immediately straightened up, holding back hunger and grogginess.    

            “ Ah, I’m just heading there myself, ” said brunet, pointing at the direction of the doors out of the campus. It was no bother to him that the other came to him for assistance. He was always welcome to help a brother out. “ You wanna come with? ”

“S-sure.” Slaine didn’t want to refuse his polite offer. They weren’t in a hurry, and neither was he, now that he knew where the exit of this place was. He was also quite hungry. There was food on campus, but it didn’t seem as satisfying compared to a café or something of the sort.

“And you seem hungry… are you taking a lot of classes?” was this person similar to him? Slaine also took a lot of classes, and had the tendency to put more on his shoulders than he needed to. Sometimes he would forget to eat, hence why he looked so scrawny. There were other reasons for that, sure.

“We can stop by and get a bite to eat…” he looked down a little. Is this how you make friends in Talia? People of Talia were much friendlier than back at home, that much was for sure. He wasn’t sure if he was doing it right, but he was told he was good at socializing if he had his heart set on it.